Maria-sama ga Miteru:Volume6 Chapter2 2

Hors d'oeuvre. Part 2.

"Why is Yumi-san here with Sachiko-sama?"

Behind the shelf of reference books, Yoshino murmured to herself.

The K station building's bookstore.

I wonder if she saw me. No, I quickly hid so I should be fine. Nobody can observe the face of each and every shopper they pass as they walk along. If they could, bounty hunters would have a lot more free time.

(… either way, it's not me)

Yoshino shrugged her shoulders and smiled bitterly. Really, she was starting to hate herself. Why on earth did I come to this place?

She could probably loiter around here for a while longer, so she didn't have to leave the bookstore right away. To kill some time, she took a thin book on chemistry from the bookshelf and flipped through it. It was one of her poorer subjects – she had absolutely no idea what was written in it.

The near miss with Yumi-san had somehow been avoided, so then, what should she do next?

She had already bought the paperback that she had used as a pretext for going out. If she hadn't, she could go to several places and search for the best looking copy.

(That's foolish)

It wasn't a well thought out idea. It was a new release book from a popular writer, so no matter which bookstore she went to she would surely find a stack of mint-condition copies in the New Books corner, just like the one she had now.

Thinking only about Rei-chan being on a date with somebody, she couldn't just stand idly about and went out. Wanting to show that she was composed, and not burning with jealousy, Yoshino had left the house before Rei-chan and got on the bus to K station. Thanks to that, she had arrived at the station building before it opened.

(Am I a masochist?)

Her usual aggressive self had, for today only, turned timid. Rei-chan hadn't told her where she was going (and she didn't want to hear either). She had, however, anticipated that it would be somewhere near K station so she went to the effort of getting on the bus and coming here to buy her book.

What would she do if she saw Rei-chan and that girl – was it Chisato-san? – walking closely together, chatting?

(But, look, Rei-chan would get engrossed in talking about a subject like kendo and end up talking to herself. When that happens, poor Chisato-san might leave her, so therefore)

Therefore?

She asked herself. Therefore, I came to watch because I'm worried, right?

That was still nothing but a pretext.

Yoshino frankly admitted this. This was jealousy. Nothing other than that.

Before she knew it, they had become too familiar. Rei-chan was always her onee-sama and no-one else's, and the only one who belonged by Rei-chan's side was her. Like during the 'Yellow Rose Revolution.' Although returning the rosary had been a catastrophe, she hadn't believed that it would be the end. It may have been contradictory, but she had believed that it would be a temporary cancellation.

(Jealousy. Being jealous.... What's wrong with that?)

However, while she may have accepted that, it did not in any way change the situation. While she was filling in time looking out for them, she couldn't intrude.

Unfortunately, she could only watch them without being spotted. How would it reflect on her if she was caught unawares and suddenly surprised. It would obviously look like she was driven by jealousy to tail them.

That would be a problem. If that happened it would easily tear down her ragged pride, which wasn't set that high to begin with.

(I'll go home. I'll go home and read the book I've bought)

Yes, she nodded to herself and walked off. When she had taken five steps, she realized she was still holding the chemistry book, and returned to the bookshelf.

Those few steps back proved fatal.

".... Yoshino … san ?"

"Ehh!?"

Whoa, the sudden surprise had turned into reality, so she took up guard. However, it wasn't Rei-chan and Chisato-san in front of her. And it wasn't Yumi-san and Sachiko-sama again, either.

"Hey, what are you doing here? I knew it, you were worried about Rei-san and Chisato-san being together and came to spy on them, right Yoshino-san?"

Because she was in plain clothes, Yoshino didn't recognize her immediately, but when she took a notebook out of her pocket and started taking notes, Yoshino realized it was the head of the newspaper club.

But, what. It must have been intended as a disguise, for she was wearing a beanie with a pompom that you wouldn't usually see unless skiing, and black-rimmed fake glasses that gave the same impression. Yoshino wanted to inform her that it actually made her even more conspicuous, but … she didn't.

For a start, this person was the one who planned the Valentine's card hunt that caused Rei-chan to have to go on a date with a girl she didn't love.

"Unfortunately for you, I have no interest in that."

Having first replaced the chemistry book on the shelf, Yoshino replied with a composed smile.

"Oh come now, that's just false bravado. Come to think of it, Yoshino-san was vehemently opposed to this from the start. Naturally, you're jealous."

Minako-sama nodded to herself as she reached her conclusion.

"Jealousy, you say –"

Yoshino clenched her fist. Earlier she had realized this herself, but she didn't want it pointed out by someone else once more. Besides, what was up with her sympathetic looking facial expression? That Minako-sama, she really was good at angering people.

But she couldn't let herself be provoked here. If she cried out or acted out even a little, an exaggerated version would undoubtedly be printed in the 'Lillian Kawaraban.'

"Scoop! Yellow Rose Revolution Part Two. Rosa Foetida en Bouton's petit soeur lashes out due to jealousy" – just picturing the title made her sick.

"You've misunderstood, Minako-sama."

She started off with a smile.

"I don't know where, or how, my onee-sama is going to be spending today... Well, you say she's here?"

"Oh please, Yoshino-san, your joke's not funny."

"No, it's true."

The fox and the racoon's enchantment. Using refined phrases as armor while probing for your opponent's true motive.

"Then why did you come to K station today? If you wanted to go to a bookstore, there's one nearer your house, right?"

"Th.. that's"

Damn it. "I came to buy a book" had been her trump card, but Minako-sama had anticipated this and she couldn't use it now.

"I was invited by Yumi-san."

The confusing explanation had flown out of her mouth and couldn't be taken back.

"Yumi-san?"

"Yeah. Yumi-san was going out with Sachiko-sama and invited me along, saying if I was free, why don't I join them."

"Yumi-san and Sachiko-sama!?"

The color of Minako-sama's eyes changed.

"Ahh!"

Once again, 'damn it.' This time it was a fairly big verbal slip. She went to cover her mouth, but it was too late.

Like a dog that had heard his master's voice, Minako-sama's invisible antenna was standing up.

Yumi-san and Sachiko-sama's date was unrelated to the half-day dates organized by the newspaper club, so Minako-sama hadn't yet caught wind of it.

"So, where are the two of them now?"

"Ehh, ahh."

It's just one thing after another.

"They wandered off for a bit. I'm sure they're around here somewhere."

It was a pretty poor excuse. However, Minako-sama didn't doubt it.

"Yumi-san and Sachiko-sama..."

She murmured, as though digesting it. She had completely shifted her focus to this new information. When you tell a lie, it's best to mix it with a bit of the truth. Somebody on TV said this, so it must be true.

(Forgive me, Yumi-san)

She implored in her mind. She felt like she had blurted out something unforgivable while acting coy.

What's done is done.

The words she had spoken could not be returned to her mouth. Having said that, she couldn't leave the topic of Yumi-san and Sachiko-sama as it stood now.

"By the way, what business did you have here today, Minako-sama?"

Lacking anything else to try, Yoshino started by changing the topic of conversation.

"Prior to our conversation, you came here to spy on … or, rather … spectate on Shimako-san and my onee-sama's dates, right?"

It was difficult to choose the right words. Because she was acting just like a peeping tom.

"Well, yeah."

Minako-sama agreed vaguely. It seems like it was a small slip of the tongue.

"And so? Which of them were you able to see?"

"It's unfortunate, but so far neither."

"I wonder if they even came here to begin with."

"On that matter, I have self-confidence."

Ohh, you're very trusting in your intuition. – Yoshino thought to herself. Even though her intuition was correct in this case, it would still be a Herculean task to find those two groups of girls unaided in this mall crowded with young people.

"I pray for your success. However, unlike searching for the cards in your treasure hunt it will be much harder for you because they move around."

On the verge of leaving, Yoshino put all the sarcasm she could muster into her line.

"Yoshino-san too. You'll be lucky to meet up with the stray Yumi-san and Sachiko-sama."

Whether or not Minako-sama intended it when she made her reply, a thorn that was stuck deep within Yoshino's chest seemed to loosen.